Pete King has vowed to proceed despite a charges that the inquiry will fuel bigotry. |
Reuters
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Still, some Democrats repeatedly demanded that King broaden his inquiry to include the threat posed by neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan.

“It is not enough for things to be right. They must also look right,” said Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who’s not a member of the Homeland Security panel but asked to join the hearing. “It may be right, but it doesn’t look right when we take on Islam ... and we don’t tell the truth about the abuses associated with the KKK and Christianity. ... Why not include the KKK in this discussion today? Why not have a broader topic that does not focus on one religion?”

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Those arguments were undercut, however, by the star witness Democrats invited to counter those chosen by King, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

While Baca dismissed GOP claims that Muslims or Muslim groups are often uncooperative with law enforcement, he did not appear to accept the general premise put forward by Democrats that a public congressional hearing into homegrown Islamic radicalism was inappropriate.

“I don’t particularly think these hearings can be negative totally,” Baca said. “I believe that they have a potential to keep the public involved in this discussion, which will further lead to better solutions, and the robustness of the opinions will say that everyone’s entitled to say what they’re saying. That’s what I’m taking from this particular hearing.”

Pressed by Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.), Baca actually rejected her suggestion that Thursday’s hearing should have included threats posed by individuals outside the Muslim community.

“These witnesses are incredibly important, but if you try to package this up in one big group, we’ll be here for three weeks,” Baca said, though he later said the committee should examine other threats as well.

While another key talking point for Democrats was that the hearings posed a threat to religious freedom and that Congress had no business exploring the teachings of Islam, Baca at one point lectured Muslims in a way neither King nor any other lawmaker dared.

“My biggest advice to the Muslim community in America, in essence: Get smarter on your own faith,” Baca said. “Praying five times a day is a ritual that is important, but it is not Islam. It is the ability to have a sense of tolerance for Judaism, Christianity and all faiths of the world. That’s the message [of Islam] that I think is not being heard by the American public.”

While Thompson said he believed the inquiry should include neo-Nazis and other Christian radicals who pose a danger to the public, King said broadening the focus of the hearings would be a mistake and a distraction.

King should have said "that's a really stupid idea that only some PC, mulit-cultural moron would dream up", but I guess there needs to be decorum.

While Thompson said he believed the inquiry should include neo-Nazis and other Christian radicals who pose a danger to the public, King said broadening the focus of the hearings would be a mistake and a distraction